Rediscovered historic cave in northern Haiti stirs tourism hopes for community

GRANDE RIVIÈRE DU NORD, Haiti — Under the hot October sun in Twouso, a rural village about 15 miles south of Cap-Haïtien, a dozen of local men dug into the ground with mattocks as part of a road construction project initiated by the Organization of the People of Twouso in Action (OPTA). Midway through their work on Oct. 14, they started to unearth the entrance to a long-abandoned cave, once a goldmine in the 1950s. 

For decades, the cave was hidden beneath layers of compacted soil and mudslides. Its rediscovery has sparked excitement among villagers, who hope to transform it into a tourist destination that can generate revenue to improve their neglected community.

As the workers were clearing passage for the road, one man, Joël Jean-Louis—a farmer who produces plantains and beans notably—could not quite focus on digging the ground. His attention was rather on a wall of compacted soil on the side of the road. 

When Jean-Louis, 39, was a child, his father told him that there was a cave that used to be a goldmine underneath the compacted soil in the area.

“I told the guys we have to dig this because kids have to know that there is a cave here,” Jean-Louis said. “When I die, people will say I made them know about the existence of a cave here.”

At first, the other men refused to help Jean-Louis dig deeper, but he continued alone anyway. Since he persisted, the other workers joined him later. After three days of digging, the men completely opened the entrance of the cave. 

To manage things, the men formed a nine-member committee that has yet to be officially named. This committee has been guiding residents inside the cave for about 25 to 100 gourdes, or about 20 to 75 cents, per entry. So far, they have collected at least 3745 gourdes, or about $30, from local visitors.

A cave opening up to dreams and revival of a community

The committee, as well as people in the village, hope that the cave will become a popular tourist site. With the revenue it generates, they hope to improve living conditions, build service infrastructure in the area and embellish the community. 

Twouso is a neglected rural area on a hill in Grande Rivière du Nord, near Cap-Haïtien. The roads in Twouso are narrow, battered-up ravine and some of them are too tight for cars to even travel to. 

Haiti is filled with historical landmarks, but many of them have been neglected. Some, like the Twouso cave, have been completely forgotten about and vanished. However, these historical sites could generate revenues that could help residents crawl out of financial misery and revamp their neighborhoods. That’s the dream of villagers in Twouso. 

However, the cave is located on a hill, inaccessible by cars, which may discourage some potential visitors from traveling there. Additionally, about two weeks after people started visiting it, the group has yet to make enough income to even build a door for the cave. 

Yet, the Twouso residents are confident that the cave will become more popular, contributing to the revamping of the area and improving their livelihoods.

“We want to see another Twouso,” said Renaldo Jean-Louis, 29, one of the workers who helped dig the cave entrance and a committee member. 

“We started by making the roads better,” Renaldo, who is also Joël’s younger brother, added. “And while doing that, we found what I can call this treasure.”

The cave committee hopes to raise enough money to install an iron door to secure the entrance, but they are now using metal sheets to close it. The iron door is just the beginning of their plans to enhance the area.

“This cave will change lives in Twouso,” Jean-Louis said. “We need development here.”

According to